The Dancing Queen and Cher

Celie loves to dance. Celie actually loves music period. She's the only baby I know that points to her iPod and docking station and waves and smiles at it until we turn it on. Before I continue, let me clarify something. Yes Celie has an iPod and a docking station. It was the one Sarah had and we put a bunch of stuff on there for the delivery room and for Celie, etc. So now, it's officially Celie's and Sarah is getting a new one for Christmas.

Anyway, my child loves music. As she should. Both of her parents are both very musically inclined. There are certain songs that we sing that really gets her all fired up. She hops up on her knees, pumps her arms up and down and puckers her lips and breathes very rapidly and loudly......this all translates to dancing (it's very similar to how Sarah dances as an adult). So, these songs include:

"Say a Little Prayer" - from My Best Friends Wedding
"Toxic" - by Brittany Spears (we only know the chorus)
Sarah's version of "If I Could Turn Back Time" - originally performed by Cher (not kidding).

"Are you that Somebody" - Aaliyah

"Everybody Came" - Ambrosia Parsley

Now, let me stop you for a minute and revisit bullet point number three. Yes folks. Sarah does a Cher impersonation. It is, by far, the funniest and saddest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. She was really workin' it out today during Celie's bath time. I mean, she did the key change on ...."if I could reach the stars" and everything. To give you an idea of what it sounds like, please picture an eighteen year old, drunk, drag queen. That about sums it up. When she started singing it today, I almost wet my pants. I was laughing so hard, I thought there was a possibility I could pass out. She's got the vibrato down to a science.

I beg you, if you see Sarah in the next week, please ask for a short rendition of THE CHER. You will triple-love it.

If you read Sarah's blog, you already know that we have extreme musical differences and we're trying to allow Celie to experience them all. I focus her on the great singers of our time. The Josh Grobans, the Whitneys, etc. as well as a lot of Contemporary Christian and Choral pieces. Sarah likes to focus Celie on instrumental pieces, mostly classical, along with folky-rockers like Jason Mraz and the singer/songwriters like James Taylor, Paul Simon, etc. (gag). Then......you have my mother. AKA MeMe. She loves to let Celie listen to the Southern Gospel. Now, I grew up on this music, so I know a lot of it. My mother is already convinced that Celie just loves her some Southern Gospel. Watch out Bill Gaither.

I'm really hoping that Sarah will give me another Cher concert before we go to bed. I'll need to make sure I've already gone to the restroom this time. I really hope she does the key change too. She tends to overshoot the key change by about two keys, which is a whole different story and one of my MOST favorite games to play with Sarah: "Fill In The Harmony." If ever I need a laugh, this is a go-to game. It's a long story, but I'm willing to tell it now.

Sarah is a trumpeter. Therefore, she basically only knows melody - period. I am a pianist and singer, so I, of course, know harmonies and love to sing them (ad nausem). When I am bored, I will start singing a song and then tell Sarah to start singing the harmony. Sarah will immediately default to about three octaves lower than what I'm singing. I think she hears "bass" when I say "harmony". It is THE funniest thing ever. It's like a one-note monotone bass note the entire time.

I'm always confused by her interpretation of harmony and then I love to sing the actual harmony for her and have her sing the melody but then that just ends up in a big mess where she's about a half step from where I am and it sounds very very sad.

Ah, the games we play.....we're dorks, but we have a great time together!!